WALES may have faced footballing heartbreak when they missed out on qualifying for Euro 2004 but a team of homeless players from Newport are aiming for World Cup glory this summer.

The players from Newport's Pilot Project side are bidding for places in the Wales side for this summer's International Homeless World Cup which takes place in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Since March a group of 20 players from Newport have been in training to try to win places in the national squad.

The Pilot Project is an arts based day centre run by the Newport Action for Single Homeless (NASH), which provides a hostel for people who would otherwise have to sleep on the streets.

They will be competing against teams from Cardiff and Swansea to try and win a place in the final team of eight.

Andrew Fiddow, project worker at the centre, said: "Everyone has gained something. We have witnessed a dramatic increase in fitness and a real sense of ownership has developed within the team."

Team captain Martin Ingram said: "Playing football has given me a focus and having responsibility has given me the confidence to achieve what matters.

"I now have a part-time job and use the rest of my time to give something back to the people who helped me.

"I am a volunteer chef, cooking for homeless people locally."

The Homeless World Cup is organised by the International Network of Street Papers, which includes the Big Issue.

The first tournament was held in Graz in Austria last year and was hailed as an overwhelming success by organisers.

This summer's tournament will feature 32 teams from around the world including sides from Argentina, Cameroon, Peru and France.

An International Homeless World Cup spokesman said: "It is a great opportunity for homeless people to meet and to participate in a very positive experience together."